The Crafter's Workshop BlogTextured Mandala

Hello everyone, Jen here to show you this quick and easy project creating a stenciled mandala with loads of texture and rich vibrant colors.

Supplies needed:

Canvas (I used a 12 x 12)
Caulking
Stencils:
TCW 553 Stone Ring
TCW 2064 Atomic Circle
Paint
Acrylic inks
Spray bottle
Paint spreader
Chalk or pencil

Step 1: Preparing your canvas

Place stencil over canvas. You will want to mark off the edges of your canvas where the stencil ends, this way you can create a nice circle shape. Mark a small dot on the canvas and all four sides.

Remove the stencil from your canvas and then spread a thick layer of caulking within your margins that were created by the above step (marking off the stencil edges).

Step 2:

Spreading the Caulking over canvas going in a circular motion with the paint spreader.

Smooth and even out any areas within your circle, it will look something like this.

Step 3:

Place stencil over caulking and firmly press into your canvas, then with your paint spreader gently glide over the entire stencil.

Remove and clean stencil right away so the caulking does not dry on it.

At this point your canvas may look messy and chaotic, but not to worry!

Here is how my piece looked once I removed the stencil. I decided I wanted more detail in the center so I used stencil TCW 2064 Atomic Circle.

You can also use a bamboo skewer to add finer details, designs and lines. Be sure not to poke your canvas with the skewer, use a light hand or you could puncture it.

Now it’s time dry! this process does take some time, I left my piece for a few hours then came back for the next step.

Step 3: Painting your canvas in layers of color.

Here it’s important to use less paint so the design of the stencil will show up. You can add water to the brush to make the paint flow gently.

I decided to work with cool colors- blues, turquoise and purples. Using a fan brush creates a soft lightness to the brushstrokes, easily gliding the paint over the dried caulking. I started painting in the center of my mandala working outward.

Here you can really see the amazing texture detail of the caulking.

Here I added some acrylic inks and sprayed with a touch of water.

Then another layer of distressed ink. Notice how the caulking / texture is really showing through!

Building the layers to the edge of the caulking with color.

Now it’s time to let the ink and paint dry. Once it’s dry you can go back over any areas that need more ink/paint and touch up any spots.

Detail shot:

Step 4: Painting the rest of the canvas. I used a Prussian Blue. it’s bold and vibrant adding great contrast to the colors within mandala. Then using this stencil, TCW 389 S Fancy Feathers. A feather for each corner of my canvas.

I then applied gold paint in the center of the mandala and translucent paint on the edges of the inner ring and outer ring, which gives a beautiful magenta shine! I then went back over each layered area of color and touched up any areas that needed it. I also left a few areas where the turquoise paint was a lot lighter and showed the white of the calking to give a marbled effect.